Patch 5.4 patch notes
Virtual Realms feature revealed
The Proving Grounds are coming
The latest patch 5.4 newsBornakk confirms WotLK gear reset
by Mike Schramm 
Jan 14th 2008 at 1:00PM
We've suspected this all along, but now Bornakk has confirmed that yes, when the next expansion comes out, we'll all be turning in our epics for green gear once more. (And via MMO Champion, here's a comic that explains just what you're feeling right now). As he says, the whole point of a subscription MMO is that you need to keep playing to be awesome, and so new, more powerful gear is exactly where Blizzard wants to go.On the one hand, this is actually a great thing. I just finally brought my Hunter alt through Hellfire Peninsula, and it was terrific to run a few quests and all of a sudden have what used to be raid level gear. And as Bornakk says, another reset in Wrath of the Lich King will accomplish the same thing for new players then (including Death Knights, ahem, so if you're reading between the lines as much as I am, that means that Death Knights will probably start before level 70, because they too apparently will be coming through the 70-71 gear transition). It is great to do the starter quests in a new expansion, and quickly get brought up to speed with some of the best gear in the game.
However, now that this is known, does it mean the gear you earn now is worthless? I don't think so-- while the old endgame was almost all about gear, there are so many epics now and so many ways to get them that the game is much more about how you play rather than the gear you're playing for. Sure, we'll all end up stashing our epics away for a green quest reward from the Borean Tundra, but we'll always have Karazhan and Gruul's, right?
Filed under: Items, Analysis / Opinion, Blizzard, Expansions, Leveling, Death Knight, Wrath of the Lich King
Reader Comments (Page 2 of 3)
JPN Jan 14th 2008 1:48PM
Can't wait to get some T16 gear in a few years
Malivick Jan 14th 2008 2:01PM
This is something that really bothers me about this game. Since i am a relatively new player i will never get to see some of the old world content because no one is willing to run the old instances. Everyone is so concerned about getting to outland because the gear is so much better. I am afraid that the same thing will happen when the new expansion is released. There will be a rush to northrend and outland will be deserted just like azeroth and i will miss out on more cool content. So much for my dreams of raiding kara and other high lvl instances.
p-diddy Jan 14th 2008 2:07PM
I just started WoW about a month ago and just dinged 39 on my main, so I'm behind too. I say we level up to 80 when the expansion comes out and then you and I will 2-man Onyxia. Cool?
-p-
Eternalpayn Jan 14th 2008 2:56PM
Holy crap... although I'm casual, I'm only 44 after a few months...
Karlei Jan 14th 2008 1:54PM
I just started leveling my hunter again that I raided with pre-BC. I had 4 pieces of the ZG set, beast stalkers helm, Mandakor's sting, dawn edge and bone slicing hatchet with +15 agility on both.
I just recently replaced the axes with daggers from the bone wastes quests, and ring of blood.
I still have my zg shoulders, and bracers because I haven't found anything better because of the set bonus. My hunter is now level 67.
So its not like on day one when I had my hunter go into hellfire that I changed all her loot. Its going to happen.. And yes the the instances like KZ, SSC, BT, and Hyjal are not going to be hit agian, after WotLK, but thats okay. We'll have new content, with new gear and new stories, that is whats important.
clozer Jan 14th 2008 1:58PM
I don't mind, that's just the way the game is.
However one thing I am completely sick of is reusing old gear models that are recolored. I am completely fed up with that. I don't mind it so much on greens and a handful of blues. But epics? No way. I think I speak for us all that when we get a purple, it should be something new and unique at level 80.
So please Blizzard, give us some new art.
Jon Davis Jan 14th 2008 1:58PM
Here's the real question regarding Death Knights...What kind of wickedly awesome, badass mounts are these guys gonna have to start with? Let's assume it's an epic speed ground mount. I can't see one of these guys riding around on a slow ass lvl 40 mule. Is it gonna be something they summon, similar to a warlock or paladin? What does WoWInsider say?
dpak Jan 15th 2008 11:30AM
I agree that the "green is the new purple" phrase is mostly myth. Sure, my level 52blues have been replaced with 60 green...but wast your 42 blue replaced with a 53 green before?
Many of the higher end purples(60) have a tremendous amount of longevity, so much so that my group has considered actually tying to farm a few select pieces.
You dont get epics just because they are good....you get them because you want to keep them for a while....and I am fairly confident I will keep mine...maybe till level 75+.
Azbaty Jan 14th 2008 2:01PM
Not a big surprise. Anyone that had 60's when TBC was release had to know this was going to be the case. It's also the primary reason my 70's will just do dailies while I try out a few other classes. I might find a different class to have as my main when the xpack comes out.
Callandra Jan 14th 2008 2:02PM
C'mon people, stop freaking out. The tremendous gear increases from non-BC to BC were so tremendous for two reasons:
#1 - Previously, all quest rewards were garbage. Items now used their stat budgets effectively and no longer did you have str on cloth, and spirit on everything.
#2 - Stamina was rebudget to a lower 'cost', allowing additional stats to be included in a similiar iLevel piece of gear.
Just like now, when you ding between levels in the outland (66-67 for example) there aren't upgrades with +20 str and stamina, the increase is incremental.
toetar Jan 14th 2008 3:04PM
I didn't replace my bwl leather healing bracer's until Lurker. For some reason Bliz forgot to add anything in between. There were 2 options. There was one heroic epic leather bracer and in kara there was a cloth bracer but I hate wearing cloth. I'm a druid I can wear leather i'm going to. I don't agree with leather, mail, and plate wearers wearing cloth. It is not right.
Nogun Jan 14th 2008 2:09PM
There is one massive difference between Naxx itemization and what we get in Hyjal / BT, many items there aren't even upgrades to Tier5 equivalents. You would think with all the new raid viable specs they would have plenty useful items to fill the loot tables with but somehow they manage to put undesireble crap in it. Many items get DE'd by defenition in there and not because everyone has it (thats another issue) but because only alts and offspecs would touch it (the people that entirely skipped the previous tier aside from attunement).
If Sunwell follows this trend of undesirable items with bad stat distributions plenty of item slots will be stuck with their Tier5 item and be easily replaced brute force with item level 160 greens in Northend.
Rene Jan 14th 2008 2:35PM
How can anyone believe that the game will stay at the current level of high-end items for all eternity? That would ridicule the whole concept of an "endless" game. People who play this game for items should really think about what they're doing wrong.
Caypso Jan 14th 2008 2:53PM
That blue post is 1 week old...
MechChef Jan 14th 2008 2:59PM
I believe I remember reading this somewhere: T3 rogue gear is about the equivalent to lvl 70 of the Bandit pieces. So like has been mentioned above, epic gear won't immediatly become obsolete, but it will eventually.
Anyway, I welcome the reset. It helps close the gear-gap that has formed, and levels the playing field for people who haven't been 70 for as long as others. I only began playing a month or two before BC. My main didn't hit 60 until Outland had been open for a few weeks, so it was less of a milestone event. Ding 60, move on to 61. Plus I've been slow to jump on the Arena train, so I'm terribly outgeared.
Shumina Jan 14th 2008 3:07PM
New gear? Yes please. As a pally healer, I'm tired of looking like a walking, twinkling princess made of cotton candy. Each time I upgrade in BC it's bittersweet; with more and more sparkly, crystilline "bling" signifying that either I'm a healer with good numbers or that I somehow wish this was World of MyLittlePonies.
Dipstick Jan 14th 2008 4:25PM
I think it's nice (and healthy) for there to be a 'gear reset' every once in a while.
It levels the playing field again so that other people can start coming into the game without a mountain to climb to be able to see end-game content.
I'm sure there'll be a few bits and pieces I'll still be keeping for the expansion (if I'm still around).
Verit Jan 14th 2008 5:43PM
"I think it's nice (and healthy) for there to be a 'gear reset' every once in a while."
Its not a mountain climb though - get to 70 - we run you through kara a few times and your good.
rick gregory Jan 14th 2008 4:04PM
"Anyway, I welcome the reset. It helps close the gear-gap that has formed, and levels the playing field for people who haven't been 70 for as long as others."
I think that's one thing that bothers some people. A new 70 and a long time 70 both get reset. EXCEPT... that's not really true. I'll have a LOT easier time in Northrend on my fully epicced rogue than the new 70 rogue in greens and a few blues. So I don't mind the reset.
I *do* wish that some of the things I was replacing epics with were blues vs greens. I dunno, it just seems the epics are less... well.. epic. But really, it's no big deal. Gear is just a way to make your toon more capable, nothing more.
Verit Jan 14th 2008 5:47PM
Yeah my new character with her crappy gear is going to have a hard time in Northrend for like 5 quests (2-3 hours) until I'm basically wearing tier 6. Next?
And for the healers and all our epic gear? I have a resto druid - I don't level resto with healing gear - so actually I'm kinda starting out where I left off when I hit lvl 70 :( (asides from which welfare drops I got out of kara when no-one else wanted them).